Customized contextual media content item generation

ABSTRACT

Among other things, embodiments of the present disclosure improve the functionality of electronic messaging and imaging software and systems by determining topics of electronic communications between users and generating customized media content items based on such topics. The media content can be generated for a variety of topics and shared with other users. For example, media content (e.g., images or video can be generated and displayed on a user&#39;s computing device, as well as transmitted to other users via electronic communications, such as short message service (SMS) or multimedia service (MMS) texts and emails.

BACKGROUND

The popularity of electronic messaging, particularly instant messaging,continues to grow. Users increasingly share media content items such aselectronic images and videos with each other, reflecting a global demandto communicate more visually. Similarly, users increasingly seek tocustomize the media content items they share with others, providingchallenges to social networking systems seeking to generate custom mediacontent for their members. Embodiments of the present disclosure addressthese and other issues.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, like numeralsmay describe similar components in different views. Like numerals havingdifferent letter suffixes may represent different instances of similarcomponents. Some embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and notlimitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example messaging system forexchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network.

FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating further details regarding amessaging system, according to exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating data which may be stored inthe database of the messaging server system, according to variousexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an exemplary process according to variousaspects of the disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5C are screenshots illustrating the aspects of the methoddescribed in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a representative softwarearchitecture, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine,according to some exemplary embodiments, able to read instructions froma machine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows includes systems, methods, techniques,instruction sequences, and computing machine program products thatembody illustrative embodiments of the disclosure. In the followingdescription, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide an understanding of variousembodiments of the inventive subject matter. It will be evident,however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the inventivesubject matter may be practiced without these specific details. Ingeneral, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, andtechniques are not necessarily shown in detail.

Among other things, embodiments the present disclosure improve thefunctionality of electronic messaging and imaging software and systemsby determining topics of electronic communications between users andgenerating customized media content items based on such topics. Themedia content can be generated for a variety of topics and shared withother users. For example, media content (e.g., images or video) can begenerated and displayed on a user's computing device, as well astransmitted to other users via electronic communications, such as shortmessage service (SMS) or multimedia service (MMS) texts and emails.

In some embodiments, customized contextual media overlays can begenerated based on content provided from third-party content providersassociated with a topic of discussion between a plurality of users viaelectronic communication. Customized contextual media overlays may alsobe generated to include avatars of the users involved in a discussion.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a messaging system 100for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over anetwork. The messaging system 100 includes multiple client devices 102,each of which hosts a number of applications including a messagingclient application 104. Each messaging client application 104 iscommunicatively coupled to other instances of the messaging clientapplication 104 and a messaging server system 108 via a network 106(e.g., the Internet). As used herein, the term “client device” may referto any machine that interfaces to a communications network (such asnetwork 106) to obtain resources from one or more server systems orother client devices. A client device may be, but is not limited to, amobile phone, desktop computer, laptop, portable digital assistants(PDAs), smart phones, tablets, ultra books, netbooks, laptops,multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, game consoles, set-top boxes, or any other communicationdevice that a user may use to access a network.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, each messaging client application 104 isable to communicate and exchange data with another messaging clientapplication 104 and with the messaging server system 108 via the network106. The data exchanged between messaging client applications 104, andbetween a messaging client application 104 and the messaging serversystem 108, includes functions (e.g., commands to invoke functions) aswell as payload data (e.g., text, audio, video or other multimediadata).

The network 106 may include, or operate in conjunction with, an ad hocnetwork, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), alocal area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network(WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), theInternet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public SwitchedTelephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network,a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi® network,another type of network, or a combination of two or more such networks.For example, a network or a portion of a network may include a wirelessor cellular network and the coupling may be a Code Division MultipleAccess (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile communications(GSM) connection, or other type of cellular or wireless coupling. Inthis example, the coupling may implement any of a variety of types ofdata transfer technology, such as Single Carrier Radio TransmissionTechnology (1×RTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS) technology, Enhanced Data rates for GSMEvolution (EDGE) technology, third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)including 3G, fourth generation wireless (4G) networks, Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA),Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long TermEvolution (LTE) standard, others defined by various standard settingorganizations, other long range protocols, or other data transfertechnology.

The messaging server system 108 provides server-side functionality viathe network 106 to a particular messaging client application 104. Whilecertain functions of the messaging system 100 are described herein asbeing performed by either a messaging client application 104 or by themessaging server system 108, it will be appreciated that the location ofcertain functionality either within the messaging client application 104or the messaging server system 108 is a design choice. For example, itmay be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technology andfunctionality within the messaging server system 108, but to latermigrate this technology and functionality to the messaging clientapplication 104 where a client device 102 has a sufficient processingcapacity.

The messaging server system 108 supports various services and operationsthat are provided to the messaging client application 104. Suchoperations include transmitting data to, receiving data from, andprocessing data generated by the messaging client application 104. Thisdata may include, message content, client device information,geolocation information, media annotation and overlays, message contentpersistence conditions, social network information, and live eventinformation, as examples. Data exchanges within the messaging system 100are invoked and controlled through functions available via userinterfaces (UIs) of the messaging client application 104.

Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108, anApplication Program Interface (API) server 110 is coupled to, andprovides a programmatic interface to, an application server 112. Theapplication server 112 is communicatively coupled to a database server118, which facilitates access to a database 120 in which is stored dataassociated with messages processed by the application server 112.

Dealing specifically with the Application Program Interface (API) server110, this server receives and transmits message data (e.g., commands andmessage payloads) between the client device 102 and the applicationserver 112. Specifically, the Application Program Interface (API) server110 provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that canbe called or queried by the messaging client application 104 in order toinvoke functionality of the application server 112. The ApplicationProgram Interface (API) server 110 exposes various functions supportedby the application server 112, including account registration, loginfunctionality, the sending of messages, via the application server 112,from a particular messaging client application 104 to another messagingclient application 104, the sending of electronic media files (e.g.,electronic images or video) from a messaging client application 104 tothe messaging server application 114, and for possible access by anothermessaging client application 104, the setting of a collection of mediadata (e.g., story), the retrieval of a list of friends of a user of aclient device 102, the retrieval of such collections, the retrieval ofmessages and content, the adding and deletion of friends to a socialgraph, the location of friends within a social graph, opening andapplication event (e.g., relating to the messaging client application104).

The application server 112 hosts a number of applications andsubsystems, including a messaging server application 114, an imageprocessing system 116 and a social network system 122. The messagingserver application 114 implements a number of message processingtechnologies and functions, particularly related to the aggregation andother processing of content (e.g., textual and multimedia contentincluding images and video clips) included in messages received frommultiple instances of the messaging client application 104. As will bedescribed in further detail, the text and media content from multiplesources may be aggregated into collections of content (e.g., calledstories or galleries). These collections are then made available, by themessaging server application 114, to the messaging client application104. Other processor and memory intensive processing of data may also beperformed server-side by the messaging server application 114, in viewof the hardware requirements for such processing.

The application server 112 also includes an image processing system 116that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations,typically with respect to electronic images or video received within thepayload of a message at the messaging server application 114.

The social network system 122 supports various social networkingfunctions services, and makes these functions and services available tothe messaging server application 114. To this end, the social networksystem 122 maintains and accesses an entity graph 304 within thedatabase 120. Examples of functions and services supported by the socialnetwork system 122 include the identification of other users of themessaging system 100 with which a particular user has relationships oris “following”, and also the identification of other entities andinterests of a particular user.

The application server 112 is communicatively coupled to a databaseserver 118, which facilitates access to a database 120 in which isstored data associated with messages processed by the messaging serverapplication 114.

Some embodiments may include one or more wearable devices, such as apendant with an integrated camera that is integrated with, incommunication with, or coupled to, a client device 102. Any desiredwearable device may be used in conjunction with the embodiments of thepresent disclosure, such as a watch, eyeglasses, goggles, a headset, awristband, earbuds, clothing (such as a hat or jacket with integratedelectronics), a clip-on electronic device, or any other wearabledevices.

FIG. 2 is block diagram illustrating further details regarding themessaging system 100, according to exemplary embodiments. Specifically,the messaging system 100 is shown to comprise the messaging clientapplication 104 and the application server 112, which in turn embody anumber of some subsystems, namely an ephemeral timer system 202, acollection management system 204 and an annotation system 206.

The ephemeral timer system 202 is responsible for enforcing thetemporary access to content permitted by the messaging clientapplication 104 and the messaging server application 114. To this end,the ephemeral timer system 202 incorporates a number of timers that,based on duration and display parameters associated with a message, orcollection of messages (e.g., a SNAPCHAT® story), selectively displayand enable access to messages and associated content via the messagingclient application 104.

The collection management system 204 is responsible for managingcollections of media (e.g., collections of text, image, video and audiodata). In some examples, a collection of content messages, includingimages, video, text, and audio) may be organized into an “event gallery”or an “event story.” Such a collection may be made available for aspecified time period, such as the duration of an event to which thecontent relates. For example, content relating to a music concert may bemade available as a “story” for the duration of that music concert. Thecollection management system 204 may also be responsible for publishingan icon that provides notification of the existence of a particularcollection to the user interface of the messaging client application104.

The collection management system 204 furthermore includes a curationinterface 208 that allows a collection manager to manage and curate aparticular collection of content. For example, the curation interface208 enables an event organizer to curate a collection of contentrelating to a specific event (e.g., delete inappropriate content orredundant messages). Additionally, the collection management system 204employs machine vision (or image recognition technology) and contentrules to automatically curate a content collection. In certainembodiments, compensation may be paid to a user for inclusion of usergenerated content into a collection. In such cases, the curationinterface 208 operates to automatically make payments to such users forthe use of their content.

The annotation system 206 provides various functions that enable a userto annotate or otherwise modify or edit media content associated with amessage. For example, the annotation system 206 provides functionsrelated to the generation and publishing of media overlays for messagesprocessed by the messaging system 100. The annotation system 206operatively supplies a media overlay (e.g., a SNAPCHAT® filter) to themessaging client application 104 based on a geolocation of the clientdevice 102. In another example, the annotation system 206 operativelysupplies a media overlay to the messaging client application 104 basedon other information, such as, social network information of the user ofthe client device 102. A media overlay may include audio and visualcontent and visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content includepictures, texts, logos, animations, and sound effects. An example of avisual effect includes color overlaying. The audio and visual content orthe visual effects can be applied to a media content item (e.g., animage or video) at the client device 102. For example, the media overlayincluding text that can be overlaid on top of a photograph/electronicimage generated by the client device 102. In another example, the mediaoverlay includes an identification of a location overlay (e.g., Venicebeach), a name of a live event, or a name of a merchant overlay (e.g.,Beach Coffee House). In another example, the annotation system 206 usesthe geolocation of the client device 102 to identify a media overlaythat includes the name of a merchant at the geolocation of the clientdevice 102. The media overlay may include other indicia associated withthe merchant. The media overlays may be stored in the database 120 andaccessed through the database server 118.

In some exemplary embodiments, as discussed in more detail below,embodiments of the present disclosure may generate, display, distribute,and apply media overlays to media content items. For example,embodiments may utilize media content items generated by a client device102 (e.g., an image or video captured using a digital camera coupled tothe client device 102) to generate media, overlays that can be appliedto other media content items.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram 300 illustrating data 300 that is storedin the database 120 of the messaging server system 108, according tocertain exemplary embodiments. While the content of the database 120 isshown to comprise a number of tables, the data could be stored in othertypes of data structures (e.g., as an object-oriented database).

The database 120 includes message data stored within a message table314. The entity table 302 stores entity data, including an entity graph304. Entities for which records are maintained within the entity table302 may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects,places, events etc. Regardless of type, any entity regarding which themessaging server system 108 stores data may be a recognized entity. Eachentity is provided with a unique identifier, as well as an entity typeidentifier shown).

The entity graph 304 furthermore stores information regardingrelationships and associations between entities. Such relationships maybe social, professional (e.g., work at a common corporation ororganization) interested-based or activity-based merely for example.

The database 120 also stores annotation data, in the example form offilters, in an annotation table 312. Filters for which data is storedwithin the annotation table 312 are associated with and applied tovideos (for which data is stored in a video table 310) or images (forwhich data is stored in an image table 308). Filters, in one example,are overlays that are displayed as overlaid on an image or video duringpresentation to a recipient user. Filters may be of varies types,including a user-selected filters from a gallery of filters presented toa sending user by the messaging client application 104 when the sendinguser is composing a message.

Other types of filters include geolocation filters (also known asGeofilters) which may be presented to a sending user based on geographiclocation. For example, geolocation filters specific to a neighborhood orspecial location may be presented within a user interface by themessaging client application 104, based on geolocation informationdetermined by a GPS unit of the client device 102. Another type offilter is a data filter, which may be selectively presented to a sendinguser by the messaging client application 104, based on other inputs orinformation gathered by the client device 102 during the messagecreation process. Example of data filters include current temperature ata specific location, a current speed at which a sending user istraveling, battery life for a client device 102 or the current time.Other annotation data that may be stored within the image table 308 isso-called “Lens” data. A “Lens” may be a real-time special effect andsound that may be added to an image or a video.

As mentioned above, the video table 310 stores video data which, oneembodiment, is associated with messages for which records are maintainedwithin the message table 314. Similarly, the image table 308 storesimage data associated with messages for which message data is stored inthe entity table 302. The entity table 302 may associate variousannotations from the annotation table 312 with various images and videosstored in the image table 308 and the video table 310.

A story table 306 stores data regarding collections of messages andassociated image, video or audio data, which are compiled into acollection (e.g., a SNAPCHAT® story or a gallery). The creation of aparticular collection may be initiated by a particular user (e.g., eachuser for which a record is maintained in the entity table 302). A usermay create a “personal story” in the form of a collection of contentthat has been created and sent/broadcast by that user. To this end, theuser interface of the messaging client application 104 may include anicon that is user selectable to enable a sending user to add specificcontent to his or her personal story.

A collection may also constitute a “live story,” which is a collectionof content from multiple users that is created manually, automaticallyor using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example,a “live story” may constitute a curated stream of user-submitted contentfrom varies locations and events. Users, whose client devices havelocation services enabled and are at a common location event at aparticular time may, for example, be presented with an option, via auser interface of the messaging client application 104, to contributecontent to a particular live story. The live story may be identified tothe user by the messaging client application 104, based on his or herlocation. The end result is a “live story” told from a communityperspective.

A further type of content collection is known as a “location story,”which enables a user whose client device 102 is located within aspecific geographic location (e.g., on a college or university campus)to contribute to a particular collection. In some embodiments, acontribution to a location story may require a second degree ofauthentication to verify that the end user belongs to a specificorganization or other entity (e.g., is a student on the universitycampus).

Embodiments of the present disclosure may generate and presentcustomized images for use within electronic messages/communications suchas short message service (SMS) or multimedia message service (MMS) textsand emails. The customized images may also be utilized in conjunctionwith the SNAPCHAT stories, SNAPCHAT filters, and ephemeral messagingfunctionality discussed herein.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary process according to various aspects of thepresent disclosure. In this example, method 400 includes identifying anelectronic communication between two or more users (405), analyzing thecontent of the electronic communication to identify a topic of thecommunication (410), retrieving user information from a database (415),receiving location information (420), determining distances between twoor more computing devices associated with the electronic communications(425), transmitting location information (430), transmitting anelectronic communication to a content provider (435), receiving contentassociated with the topic (440), generating a media content item basedon the content (445) and displaying the media content item on thedisplay of a computing device (450). The steps of method 400 may beperformed in whole or in part, may be performed in conjunction eachother as well as with some or all of the steps in other methods, and maybe performed by any number of different systems, such as the systemsdescribed in FIGS. 1 and 7.

In method 400, the system identifies (405) an electronic communication(also referred to as a “conversation” in this Application) between twoor more users in order to analyze the communication (410) to identifyone or more topics. As a threshold matter, the system may, prior toperforming the steps of method 400, confirm authorization by one or moreusers to analyze the user's communications. Such authorization may beobtained via acceptance of a terms of service for utilizing an onlinesocial network or other service provided by the system, by acceptance ona case-by-case basis by the user (e.g., via popups displayed on theuser's computing device) or using any other suitable method forobtaining authorization by the user(s).

In some embodiments, the system (e.g., messaging server system 108 inFIG. 1) identifies (405) an electronic communication transmitted from afirst computing device of a first user to a second computing device of asecond user (e.g., client devices 102 in FIG. 1) over a network such asthe Internet (e.g., network 106 in FIG. 1). The system may selectelectronic communications for analysis based on a variety of criteria.For example, as noted above, the system may only analyze communicationsfor which all, or some, parties to the communication have authorized thesystem to access. The system may also filter communications for analysisbased on other criteria, such as the identity or other informationregarding the users involved in the communications (see step 415discussed below), the length of the communication, the geographicallocation of the users involved in the communication (see step 420discussed below), and other information.

The system analyzes (410) the content of one or more communications todetermine one or more topics discussed in the communications. In thiscontext, a “topic” may refer to any subject associated with acommunication, whether expressed implicitly or explicitly. For example,FIG. 5A displays an exemplary screenshot of electronic communications(text messages in this example) between Kirk and Yunchao. In thisexample, the system may analyze the communications between Kirk andYunchao to determine that the topic of where to have lunch is associatedwith the communications. While the term “lunch” is explicitly,referenced in Kirk's text message, the system may also determineimplicit topics of conversation based on the context of thecommunications. For example, if Kirk were to instead text Yunchao “I'mhungry” at 11:00 PM, the system could determine, based on the timing ofcommunication and the content of Kirk's text that the topic of thecommunication is likewise indicative of the topic of where to havelunch. This determination could further be based on a review ofhistorical communications between parties. For example, if Kirk andYunchao have a history of making lunch plans together between 11:00 PMand 11:30 PM on weekedays, the system may use such prior communicationsto help determine that Kirk and Yunchao are attempting to make similarplans in a current set of communications.

The system may also analyze non-text content (e.g., images or video)within electronic communications to identify a topic. For example, ifKirk were to transmit an image of a hamburger to Yunchao at 11:00 PM,the system could determine that Kirk is suggesting that he and Yunchaofind a restaurant that servers hamburgers for lunch.

The system may retrieve user information (415) from a database incommunication with the system (e.g., database 120 in FIG. 1) for use inanalyzing communications between users, as well as to provide to contentproviders as discussed below. Such user information may include a user'sdemographic information (e.g., age, gender, etc.), date and timeinformation associated with communications between users, locationinformation associated with a user's computing device, and preferencesof the user.

The user preferences may include any information explicitly provided tothe system by the user (e.g., via a preferences menu displayed to theuser on the user's computing device) as well as preference informationdetermined for the user by the system. For example, the system maydetermine, based on Kirk's communications and location information fromKirk's mobile computing device that Kirk tends to favor restaurants thatserve hamburgers for lunch, but tends to avoid restaurants that servepizza for lunch.

The system may also retrieve user information from any other desiredsystem or other source. For example, the system may receive locationinformation (420) directly from a location sensor component (e.g.,global positioning system) operating on a user's computing device. Thesystem may also utilize location information for the computing devicesof users (and other user information) to make determinations related tothe user or the user's computing device. For example, the system mayanalyze the location information from the computing devices of two users(e.g., client devices 102 in FIG. 1) communicating with each other viatext messages hosted by the system (e.g., messaging server system 108 inFIG. 1), determine the distance between the respective user computingdevices (425), and transmit location information (or other userinformation) to one or more computing devices (430).

For example, in the case of the conversation between Kirk and Yunchao inFIG. 5A, the system may receive location information (420) from Kirk'scomputing device and Yunchao's computing device and determine that theyare both within a half mile from a restaurant called “Kirk's Burgers.”The system may transmit the location information associated with Kirk'scomputing device to Yunchao's computing device (e.g., displayed on a mapshowing the location of both devices relative to the restaurant) andprovide a similar display on Kirks' computing device.

The collection and display of user information from one user computingdevice to another user computing device may be performed for a limited,predetermined time period. For example, in the case of Kirk and Yunchaoarranging to have lunch, the system could cease providing the locationinformation and map display once Kirk and Yunchao are within apredetermined distance of each other (e.g., both have arrived at therestaurant), or after a predetermined time period (e.g., 1 hour).Accordingly, the system may transmit, over the Internet, the locationinformation associated with a first computing device (e.g., Kirk'sdevice) to a second computing device (e.g., Yunchao's device) for apredetermined time period, and transmit, over the Internet, the locationinformation associated with the second computing device to the firstcomputing device for the predetermined time period.

The system may also identify other users outside the communicationsbetween users using user information such as the location informationand provide the users involved in a communication the option to add theadditional users. For example, in conjunction with displaying Kirk andYunchao's location information on a map relative to the “Kirk's Burgers”restaurant, the system may search (provided user authorization is given)Kirk and Yunchao's contact lists to identify the computing devices ofother users who are also within a predetermined distance of Kirk'sBurgers (e.g., within 1 mile, the same or less distance as either Kirkor Yunchao, etc.) or either (or both) Kirk's computing device andYunchao's computing device. The system may prompt either or both of Kirkand Yunchao to add the identified user(s) to the electronic conversation(e.g., a group chat) and display the additional user's computing devicelocation information along with the location information for thecomputing devices of Kirk and Yunchao. The list of additional users mayalso be filtered based on availability information (e.g., received fromthe respective user's calendars) to identify users that are able to meetfor an activity (e.g., for lunch). The system may thus transmit locationinformation associated with either or both the first computing device(e.g., Kirk's computing device) and the second computing device (e.g.,Yunchao's computing device) to a third computing device (e.g., thedevice of an additional user). The system may likewise transmit thelocation information for the third computing device to either or boththe first computing device and the second computing device. As above,location information (and other information associated with the users ofthe computing devices) may be transmitted for a predetermined timeperiod, as well as until an event (e.g., the three computing devices aredetermined to be within a predetermined distance of a destinationlocation) occurs.

The system transmits an electronic communication to the computing deviceof a content provider (435) identifying one or more topics discussed byusers in their communications. In some embodiments, the system itselfmay be content provider, while in other embodiments a third partycomputing device (e.g., a server in communication with the system overthe Internet) is the content provider. Just as the system may operate inconjunction with any number of users and user devices, the system mayoperate in conjunction with any number of different content providers.

In addition to information related to the topic discussed by users, thesystem may provide other information to a content provider, such as userinformation associated with the users in the conversation andinformation regarding the computing devices of the respective users inthe conversation. For example, the system may include current locationinformation associated with the respective computing devices for usersin a conversation to allow the content provider to generatelocation-based content that is applicable to the users.

The system receives (440) content associated with the topic from thecontent provider, or generates the content itself if the system isperforming the function of content provider. The system generates (445)a media content item based on the content, and causes the media contentitem to be displayed (450) on the display screens of one or morecomputing devices (e.g., the computing devices of the users involved inthe conversation). Content associated with a topic may be in any format,such as text, an image, video, audio, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the content provider may transmit content to thesystem that includes a template media content item with variousplaceholders for the system to insert content that is customized for theusers involved in the conversation. In some exemplary embodiments, thecontent received from a content provider includes a template imagecontaining placeholders for the avatars of one or more of the usersinvolved in the conversation. In such cases, the system generates themedia content item (445) by retrieving avatar information for one ormore of the users in the conversation, and generating avatars foruser(s) based on the avatar information and information in the template.

For example, consider a case where the content from the content provideris a template image containing placeholders for two users sitting infront of a restaurant. Referring now to FIG. 5B, the system takes avatarinformation for Kirk and Yungchao (also used to render the avatar imagesfor Kirk and Yunchao next to their comments in FIG. 5A) and replaces theplaceholder images for the generic users sitting in front of therestaurant with the avatars for Kirk and Yunchao.

The system may generate (445) multiple media content items based on thecontent received from the content provider. For example, the system maygenerate a first image corresponding to the image in FIG. 5B (withKirk's avatar sitting on the left and Yungchao's avatar sitting on theright) and cause the first image to display (450) on the display screenof Kirk's mobile computing device. The system may additionally generatea second image with Yungchao's avatar sitting on the left and Kirk'savatar sitting on the right and cause the second image to display (450)on the display screen of YunSchao's mobile computing device. While thisis a simplified example, it demonstrates how the system may providedifferent media content items to different users based on the samecontent received from a content provider.

The media content items may be displayed (450) in a variety of differentways. For example, the system may display a generated media content itemin a gallery presented on the display screen of a users' computingdevice that the user can select and include within electroniccommunications to other users. Referring now to FIG. 5C, for example,the media content item generated in FIG. 5B (i.e., an image in thisexample) is selected by Kirk for inclusion in his message back toYungchao suggesting they go to Kirk's Burgers.

In some embodiments, the system may generate multiple media contentitems based on content received from the content provider, and displaysuch content items in response to actions taken by the users involved inthe conversation. Continuing with the example shown in FIG. 5C, thesystem may generate a response image or other media content item basedon Kirk's inclusion of the image from FIG. 5B in his message toYungchao, and display the response image in Yunchao's gallery ofpossible images to send to Kirk. For example, the response media contentitem could include an image, video, or other content depictingYungchao's avatar eating a hamburger to indicate Yungchao is in favor ofgoing to Kirk's Burgers for lunch. Conversely, the system could generatea response image showing Yungchao's avatar holding his nose at the sightof a hamburger, indicating Yungchao is not in favor of Kirk's lunchproposal.

A variety of media content items may be generated (445) and displayed(450) in conjunction with embodiments of the present disclosure. In thiscontext, a “media content item” may include any type of electronic mediain any format. For example, a media content item may include an image inJPG format, an image in PNG format, a video in FLV format, a video inAVI format, etc. In some exemplary embodiments, a media content item mayinclude content that is captured using an image capture device orcomponent (such as a digital camera) coupled to, or in communicationwith, a system performing the functionality of method 400. In theexemplary system 700 depicted in FIG. 7 may include a digital camera asone of input components 728. Additionally or alternatively, the mediacontent item may be received from another system or device. In FIG. 1,for example, a client device 102 performing the functionality of method400 may receive a media content item from another client device 102 orother system via network 106.

In some embodiments, the media content item generated (445) by thesystem may be included in a media overlay such as a “sticker” (i.e., animage that can be overlaid onto other images), filter (discussed above),or another media overlay. Such overlays may include static (i.e.,non-moving) features as well as dynamic (i.e., moving) features.

Generation of the media content item (445) may include the generation ofone or more data structure fields containing information regarding thecontent item. For example, the system may generate a name field in adata structure for the media overlay that includes a name for the mediacontent item received from the content provider.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may transmit and receiveelectronic communications containing media content items, mediaoverlays, or other content any form of electronic communication, such asSMS texts, MMS texts, emails, and other communications. Media contentitems included in such communications may be provided as attachments,displayed inline in the message, within media overlays, or conveyed inany other suitable manner.

Software Architecture

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary softwarearchitecture 606, which may be used in conjunction with various hardwarearchitectures herein described. FIG. 6 is a non-limiting example of asoftware architecture and it will be appreciated that many otherarchitectures may be implemented to facilitate the functionalitydescribed herein. The software architecture 606 may execute on hardwaresuch as machine 700 of FIG. 7 that includes, among other things,processors 704, memory 714, and I/O components 718. A representativehardware layer 652 is illustrated and can represent, for example, themachine 700 of FIG. 7. The representative hardware layer 652 includes aprocessing unit 654 having associated executable instructions 604.Executable instructions 604 represent the executable instructions of thesoftware architecture 606, including implementation of the methods,components and so forth described herein. The hardware layer 652 alsoincludes memory or storage modules memory/storage 656, which also haveexecutable instructions 604. The hardware layer 652 may also compriseother hardware 658.

As used herein, the term “component” may refer to a device, physicalentity or logic having boundaries defined by function or subroutinecalls, branch points, application program interfaces (APIs), or othertechnologies that provide for the partitioning or modularization ofparticular processing or control functions. Components may be combinedvia their interfaces with other components to carry out a machineprocess. A component may be a packaged functional hardware unit designedfor use with other components and a part of a program that usuallyperforms a particular function of related functions.

Components may constitute either software components (e.g., codeembodied on a machine-readable medium) or hardware components. A“hardware component” is a tangible unit capable of performing certainoperations and may be configured or arranged in a certain physicalmanner. In various exemplary embodiments, one or more computer systems(e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computer system, or aserver computer system) or one or more hardware components of a computersystem (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may be configured bysoftware (e.g., an application or application portion) as a hardwarecomponent that operates to perform certain operations as describedherein. A hardware component may also be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware component may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations.

A hardware component may be a special-purpose processor, such as aField-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware component may also includeprogrammable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured bysoftware to perform certain operations. For example, a hardwarecomponent may include software executed by a general-purpose processoror other programmable processor. Once configured by such software,hardware components become specific machines (or specific components ofa machine) uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and areno longer general-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that thedecision to implement a hardware component mechanically, in dedicatedand permanently configured circuitry, or in temporarily configuredcircuitry (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and timeconsiderations.

A processor may be, or in include, any circuit or virtual circuit (aphysical circuit emulated by logic executing on an actual processor)that manipulates data values according to control signals (e.g.,“commands”, “op codes”, “machine code”, etc.) and which producescorresponding output signals that are applied to operate a machine. Aprocessor may, for example, be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), aReduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a ComplexInstruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit(GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC)or any combination thereof. A processor may further be a multi-coreprocessor having two or more independent processors (sometimes referredto as “cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware component” (or “hardware-implementedcomponent”) should be understood to encompass a tangible entity, be thatan entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g.,hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in acertain manner or to perform certain operations described herein.Considering embodiments in which hardware components are temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed), each of the hardware components need notbe configured or instantiated at any one instance in time. For example,where a hardware component comprises a general-purpose processorconfigured by software to become a special-purpose processor, thegeneral-purpose processor may be configured as respectively differentspecial-purpose processors (e.g., comprising different hardwarecomponents) at different times. Software accordingly configures aparticular processor or processors, for example, to constitute aparticular hardware component at one instance of time and to constitutea different hardware component at a different instance of time. Hardwarecomponents can provide information to, and receive information from,other hardware components. Accordingly, the described hardwarecomponents may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Wheremultiple hardware components exist contemporaneously, communications maybe achieved through signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuitsand buses) between or among two or more of the hardware components. Inembodiments in which multiple hardware components are configured orinstantiated at different times, communications between such hardwarecomponents may be achieved, for example, through the storage andretrieval of information in memory structures to which the multiplehardware components have access.

For example, one hardware component may perform an operation and storethe output of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware component may then, at alater time, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware components may also initiate communications with inputor output devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation). The various operations of example methods described hereinmay be performed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implementedcomponents that operate to perform one or more operations or functionsdescribed herein. As used herein, “processor-implemented component”refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors.Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented components.

Moreover, the one or more processors may also operate to supportperformance of the relevant operations in a “cloud computing”environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS). For example, atleast some of the operations may be performed by a group of computers(as examples of machines including processors), with these operationsbeing accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or moreappropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application Program Interface (API)).The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some exemplary embodiments, theprocessors or processor-implemented components may be located in asingle geographic location (e.g., within a home environment, an officeenvironment, or a server farm). In other exemplary embodiments, theprocessors or processor-implemented components may be distributed acrossa number of geographic locations.

In the exemplary architecture of FIG. 6, the software architecture 606may be conceptualized as a stack of layers where each layer providesparticular functionality. For example, the software architecture 606 mayinclude layers such as an operating system 602, libraries 620,applications 616 and a presentation layer 614. Operationally, theapplications 616 or other components within the layers may invokeapplication programming interface (API) API calls 608 through thesoftware stack and receive messages 612 in response to the API calls608. The layers illustrated are representative in nature and not allsoftware architectures have all layers. For example, some mobile orspecial purpose operating systems may not provide aframeworks/middleware 618, while others may provide such a layer. Othersoftware architectures may include additional or different layers.

The operating system 602 may manage hardware resources and providecommon services. The operating system 602 may include, for example, akernel 622, services 624 and drivers 626. The kernel 622 may act as anabstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers.For example, the kernel 622 may be responsible for memory management,processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management,networking, security settings, and so on. The services 624 may provideother common services for the other software layers. The drivers 626 areresponsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware.For instance, the drivers 626 include display drivers, camera drivers,Bluetooth® drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers(e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), Wi-Fi® drivers, audiodrivers, power management drivers, and so forth depending on thehardware configuration.

The libraries 620 provide a common infrastructure that is used by theapplications 616 or other components or layers. The libraries 620provide functionality that allows other software components to performtasks in an easier fashion than to interface directly with theunderlying operating system 602 functionality (e.g., kernel 622,services 624 or drivers 626). The libraries 620 may include systemlibraries 644 (e.g., C standard library) that may provide functions suchas memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions,mathematical functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries 620 mayinclude API libraries 646 such as media libraries (e.g., libraries tosupport presentation and manipulation of various media format such asMPREG4, H.264, MP3, AAC, AMR, JPG, PNG), graphics libraries (e.g., anOpenGL framework that may be used to render 2D and 3D in a graphiccontent on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite that may providevarious relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit thatmay provide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries 620may also include a wide variety of other libraries 648 to provide manyother APIs to the applications 616 and other softwarecomponents/modules.

The frameworks/middleware 618 (also sometimes referred to as middleware)provide a higher-level common infrastructure that may be used by theapplications 616 or other software components/modules. For example, theframeworks/middleware 618 may provide various graphic user interface(GUI) functions, high-level resource management, high-level locationservices, and so forth. The frameworks/middleware 618 may provide abroad spectrum of other APIs that may be utilized by the applications616 or other software components/modules, some of which may be specificto a particular operating system 602 or platform.

The applications 616 include built-in applications 638 or third-partyapplications 640. Examples of representative built-in applications 638may include, but are not limited to, a contacts application, a browserapplication, a book reader application, a location application, a mediaapplication, a messaging application, or a game application. Third-partyapplications 640 may include an application developed using the ANDROID™or IOS™ software development kit (SDK) by an entity other than thevendor of the particular platform, and may be mobile software running ona mobile operating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, orother mobile operating systems. The third-party applications 640 mayinvoke the API calls 608 provided by the mobile operating system (suchas operating system 602) to facilitate functionality described herein.

The applications 616 may use built in operating system functions (e.g.,kernel 622, services 624 or drivers 626), libraries 620, andframeworks/middleware 618 to create user interfaces to interact withusers of the system. Alternatively, or additionally, in some systemsinteractions with a user may occur through a presentation layer, such aspresentation layer 614. In these systems, the application/component“logic” can be separated from the aspects of the application/componentthat interact with a user.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating components (also referred toherein as “modules”) of a machine 700, according to some exemplaryembodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable medium(e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more ofthe methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 7 shows adiagrammatic representation of the machine 700 in the example form of acomputer system, within which instructions 710 (e.g., software, aprogram, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code)for causing the machine 700 to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein may be executed. As such, theinstructions 710 may be used to implement modules or componentsdescribed herein. The instructions 710 transform the general,non-programmed machine 700 into a particular machine 700 programmed tocarry out the described and illustrated functions in the mannerdescribed. In alternative embodiments, the machine 700 operates as astandalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines.In a networked deployment, the machine 700 may operate in the capacityof a server machine or a client machine in a server-client networkenvironment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed)network environment. The machine 700 may comprise, but not be limitedto, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), atablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), apersonal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, acellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device(e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance),other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a networkswitch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing theinstructions 710, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to betaken by machine 700. Further, while only a single machine 700 isillustrated, the term “machine” shall also be taken to include acollection of machines that individually or jointly execute theinstructions 710 to perform any one or more of the methodologiesdiscussed herein.

The machine 700 may include processors 704, memory memory/storage 706,and I/O components 718, which may be configured to communicate with eachother such as via a bus 702. The memory/storage 706 may include a memory714, such as a main memory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit716, both accessible to the processors 704 such as via the bus 702. Thestorage unit 716 and memory 714 store the instructions 710 embodying anyone or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. Theinstructions 710 may also reside, completely or partially, within thememory 714, within the storage unit 716, within at least one of theprocessors 704 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or anysuitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine700. Accordingly, the memory 714, the storage unit 716, and the memoryof processors 704 are examples of machine-readable media.

As used herein, the term “machine-readable medium,” “computer-readablemedium,” or the like may refer to any component, device or othertangible media able to store instructions and data temporarily orpermanently. Examples of such media may include, but is not limited to,random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), buffer memory, flashmemory, optical media, magnetic media, cache memory, other types ofstorage (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) or anysuitable combination thereof. The term “machine-readable medium” shouldbe taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., acentralized or distributed database, or associated caches and servers)able to store instructions. The term “machine-readable medium” may alsobe taken to include any medium, or combination of multiple media, thatis capable of storing instructions (e.g., code) for execution by amachine, such that the instructions, when executed by one or moreprocessors of the machine, cause the machine to perform any one or moreof the methodologies described herein. Accordingly, a “machine-readablemedium” may refer to a single storage apparatus or device, as well as“cloud-based” storage systems or storage networks that include multiplestorage apparatus or devices. The term “machine-readable medium”excludes signals per se.

The I/O components 718 may include a wide variety of components toprovide a user interface for receiving input, providing output,producing output, transmitting information, exchanging information,capturing measurements, and so on. The specific I/O components 718 thatare included in the user interface of a particular machine 700 willdepend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such asmobile phones will likely include a touch input device or other suchinput mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely notinclude such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/Ocomponents 718 may include many other components that are not shown inFIG. 7. The I/O components 718 are grouped according to functionalitymerely for simplifying the following discussion and the grouping is inno way limiting. In various exemplary embodiments, the I/O components718 may include output components 726 and input components 728. Theoutput components 726 may include visual components (e.g., a displaysuch as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED)display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode raytube (CRT)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic componentse.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signalgenerators, and so forth. The input components 728 may includealphanumeric input components e.g., a keyboard, a touch screenconfigured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, orother alphanumeric input components), point based input components(e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, orother pointing instrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physicalbutton, a touch screen that provides location or force of touches ortouch gestures, or other tactile input components), audio inputcomponents (e.g., a microphone), and the like. The input components 728may also include one or more image-capturing devices, such as a digitalcamera for generating digital images or video.

In further exemplary embodiments, the I/O components 718 may includebiometric components 730, motion components 734, environmentalenvironment components 736, or position components 738, as well as awide array of other components. One or more of such components (orportions thereof) may collectively be referred to herein as a “sensorcomponent” or “sensor” for collecting various data related to themachine 700, the environment of the machine 700, a user of the machine700, or a combinations thereof.

For example, the biometric components 730 may include components todetect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocalexpressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g.,blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brainwaves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinalidentification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, orelectroencephalogram based identification), and the like. The motioncomponents 734 may include acceleration sensor components (e.g.,accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, velocity sensorcomponents (e.g., speedometer), rotation sensor components (e.g.,gyroscope), and so forth. The environment components 736 may include,for example, illumination sensor components (e.g., photometer),temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometer that detectambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensorcomponents (e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one ormore microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensorcomponents (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gassensors (e.g., gas detection sensors to detection concentrations ofhazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere),or other components that may provide indications, measurements, orsignals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. Theposition components 738 may include location sensor components (e.g., aGlobal Position system (GPS) receiver component), altitude sensorcomponents (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure fromwhich altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g.,magnetometers), and the like. For example, the location sensor componentmay provide location information associated with the system 700, such asthe system's 700 GPS coordinates or information regarding a location thesystem 700 is at currently (e.g., the name of a restaurant or otherbusiness).

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 718 may include communication components 740 operableto couple the machine 700 to a network 732 or devices 720 via coupling722 and coupling 724 respectively. For example, the communicationcomponents 740 may include a network interface component or othersuitable device to interface with the network 732. In further examples,communication components 740 may include wired communication components,wireless communication components, cellular communication components,Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g.,Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communicationcomponents to provide communication via other modalities. The devices720 may be another machine or any of a wide variety of peripheraldevices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a Universal Serial Bus(USB)).

Moreover, the communication components 740 may detect identifiers orinclude components operable to detect identifiers. For example, thecommunication components 740 may include Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components,optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detectone-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code,multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Azteccode, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-21)bar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components(e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, avariety of information may be derived via the communication components740, such as, location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location, locationvia Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting a NFC beaconsignal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

Where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C,” “at least one ofA, B, and C,” “one or more A, B, or C,” or “one or more of A, B, and C”is used, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that Aalone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in anembodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that anycombination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a singleembodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever. The following notice applies to the software and dataas described below and in the drawings that form a part of thisdocument: Copyright 2016, SNAP, INC. 2016, All Rights Reserved.

Changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed embodimentswithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure. These andother changes or modifications are intended to be included within thescope of the present disclosure, as expressed in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a processor; a userinterface coupled to the processor, the user interface comprising aninput device and a display screen; and memory coupled to the processorand storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause thesystem to perform operations comprising: identifying an electroniccommunication transmitted over the Internet from a first computingdevice of a first user and received by a second computing device of asecond user; analyzing content in the electronic communication from thefirst computing device to the second computing device to determine atopic associated with the electronic communication from the first userto the second user; transmitting, over the Internet to a computingdevice of a media content provider, an electronic communicationidentifying the topic; receiving, over the Internet from the computingdevice of the media content provider, an electronic communicationcontaining media content associated with the topic; generating, based onthe media content received from the media content provider, a firstimage and a second image, the first image including the media contentand a first display arrangement of an avatar of the first user and anavatar of the second user, and the second image including the mediacontent and a second display arrangement of the avatar of the first userand the avatar of the second user, the second display arrangement beingdifferent from the first display arrangement; and causing display of thefirst image on the display screen coupled to the first computing deviceand display of the second image on the display screen coupled to thesecond computing device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the memoryfurther stores instructions for causing the system to perform operationscomprising: retrieving, from a database coupled to the system, userinformation including one or more of: information associated with thefirst user and information associated with the second user; andtransmitting the user information in the electronic communication to thecomputing device of the media content provider.
 3. The system of claim2, wherein the user information includes one or more of: demographicinformation, a time of communications between the first user and thesecond user, location information associated with one or more of thefirst computing device and the second computing device, and userpreferences.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the firstimage and the second image includes: retrieving, from a database coupledto the system, avatar information for the first user and the seconduser.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the media content associatedwith the topic includes a template image, and wherein generating thefirst image and the second image includes replacing placeholder avatarimages within the template image with the avatar of the first user andthe avatar of the second user.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein thesecond image is displayed on the display screen of the second computingdevice in response to determining, by the system, that the first userincludes the first image in an electronic communication transmitted fromthe first computing device to the second computing device.
 7. The systemof claim 1, wherein the memory further stores instructions for causingthe system to perform operations comprising: receiving, over theInternet, location information associated with the first computingdevice and location information associated with the second computingdevice; transmitting, over the Internet, the location informationassociated with the first computing device to the second computingdevice for a predetermined time period; and transmitting, over theInternet, the location information associated with the second computingdevice to the first computing device for the predetermined time period.8. The system of claim 7, wherein the memory further stores instructionsfor causing the system to perform operations comprising: receiving, overthe Internet from a third computing device of a third user, locationinformation associated with the third computing device; determining,based on the location information associated with the first computingdevice and the location information associated with the third computingdevice, that the first computing device and the third computing deviceare within a predetermined distance from each other; and in response todetermining that the first computing device and the third computingdevice are within a predetermined distance from each other:transmitting, over the Internet, the location information associatedwith the first computing device to the third computing device for thepredetermined time period; and transmitting, over the Internet, thelocation information associated with the third computing device to thefirst computing device for the predetermined time period.
 9. Acomputer-implemented method comprising: identifying, by a computersystem, an electronic communication transmitted over the Internet from afirst computing device of a first user and received by a secondcomputing device of a second user; analyzing, by the computer system,content in the electronic communication from the first computing deviceto the second computing device to determine a topic associated with theelectronic communication from the first user to the second user;transmitting, by the computer system over the Internet to a computingdevice of a media content provider, an electronic communicationidentifying the topic; receiving, by the computer system over theInternet from the computing device of the media content provider, anelectronic communication containing media content associated with thetopic; generating, by the computer system, based on the media contentreceived from the media content provider, a first image and a secondimage, the first image including the media content and a first displayarrangement of an avatar of the first user and an avatar of the seconduser, and the second image including the media content and a seconddisplay arrangement of the avatar of the first user and the avatar ofthe second user, the second display arrangement being different from thefirst display arrangement; and causing display of the first image on adisplay screen coupled to the first computing device and display of thesecond image on a display screen coupled to the second computing device.10. The method of claim 9, further comprising: retrieving, from adatabase coupled to the computer system, user information including oneor more of: information associated with the first user and informationassociated with the second user; and transmitting the user informationin the electronic communication to the computing device of the mediacontent provider.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the userinformation includes one or more of: demographic information, a time ofcommunications between the first user and the second user, locationinformation associated with one or more of the first computing deviceand the second computing device, and user preferences.
 12. The method ofclaim 9, wherein generating the first image and the second imageincludes: retrieving, from a database coupled to the system, avatarinformation for the first user and the second user.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the media content associated with the topic includes atemplate image, and wherein generating the first image and the secondimage includes replacing placeholder avatar images within the templateimage with the avatar of the first user and the avatar of the seconduser.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein the second image is displayedon the display screen of the second computing device in response todetermining, by the computer system, that the first user includes thefirst image in an electronic communication transmitted from the firstcomputing device to the second computing device.
 15. The method of claim9, further comprising: receiving, by the computer system over theInternet, location information associated with the first computingdevice and location information associated with the second computingdevice; transmitting, by the computer system over the Internet, thelocation information associated with the first computing device to thesecond computing device for a predetermined time period; andtransmitting, by the computer system over the Internet, the locationinformation associated with the second computing device to the firstcomputing device for the predetermined time period.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising: receiving, by the computer system over theInternet from a third computing device of a third user, locationinformation associated with the third computing device; determining, bythe computer system based on the location information associated withthe first computing device and the location information associated withthe third computing device, that the first computing device and thethird computing device are within a predetermined distance from eachother; and in response to determining that the first computing deviceand the third computing device are within a predetermined distance fromeach other: transmitting, by the computer system over the Internet, thelocation information associated with the first computing device to thethird computing device for the predetermined time period; andtransmitting, by the computer system over the Internet, the locationinformation associated with the third computing device to the firstcomputing device for the predetermined time period.
 17. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by acomputer system, cause the computer system to perform operationscomprising: identifying an electronic communication transmitted over theInternet from a first computing device of a first user and received by asecond computing device of a second user; analyzing content in theelectronic communication from the first computing device to the secondcomputing device to determine a topic associated with the electroniccommunication from the first user to the second user; transmitting, overthe Internet to a computing device of a media content provider, anelectronic communication identifying the topic; receiving, over theInternet from the computing device of the media content provider, a nelectronic communication containing media content associated with thetopic; a first image and a second image, the first image including themedia content and a first display arrangement of an avatar of the firstuser and an avatar of the second user, and the second image includingthe media content and a second display arrangement of the avatar of thefirst user and the avatar of the second user, the second displayarrangement being different from the first display arrangement; andcausing display of the first image on a display screen coupled to thefirst computing device and display of the second image on a displayscreen coupled to the second computing device.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the memory further storesinstructions for causing the computer system to perform operationscomprising: retrieving, from a database coupled to the computer system,user information including one or more of: information associated withthe first user and information associated with the second user; andtransmitting the user information in the electronic communication to thecomputing device of the media content provider.